Sunday, July 6, 2014

Doodle Pantry New Release - Classic Clunkers

With five grandsons and a hubby who loves cars, I was drawn to this new set just released from Doodle Pantry. Since it's called Classic Clunkers 1, I knew the cars would be somewhat older. When I mixed up the names, hubby still knew which ones they were. Good work, Laurie! I'm also intrigued to see which clunkers she'll offer next. I plan to make a whole set for some car lovers I know. Please check out the other new release samples here.

I chose the outlines and colored them with Copic markers similar to cars we owned in the past, like dark olive green. I never would buy that color again! Gold and yellow weren't too bad. I'm not sure the color of the photos turned out exactly. Trees have shaded my windows so that very little light comes inside, so I tried outside photos for a change. I hoped it would show the detail of the Spellbinder's "Kickin' Rubber" M-bossabilities. I rubbed some slate ink over the raised embossing. I love the look of the "tire tread" for these masculine cards.






The patterned papers are from Basic Grey and My Mind's Eye. The black hemp, black sparkle flourishes, and the triangle durables are all from Close To My Heart.

We hope you'll also join the July challenge at Doodle Pantry. Remember, you can use images from any source. There are two themes you can choose from:  a choice of either Christmas or Make a Splash (water). Also, until July 24th you can get the Happy Trails Camper free with any purchase!

I'm sharing these cards with the following challenges:
4 Crafty Girls #21 - anything goes
Brown Sugar #101 - anything goes
ScrapbookerPhD  #12 - add texture
Sister Act Card challenge #64 - anything goes
Stempelsonnen #118 - Anything with wheels
SweetPea Stampers - for the boys/men

Friday, July 4, 2014

Doodle Pantry "God Bless Our USA"

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.


I'm finally home after babysitting three grandsons for the last six weeks. I didn't do as much crafting and blogging definitely took a back seat. Today we are celebrating our country's Independence Day.
I used  Doodle Pantry's "USA Charlie" and last month's Mojo Monday sketch #351 to make this patriotic card. I had many ancestors who came to this country in the 1600's and 1700's looking for religious freedom or escaping political tyranny. My Lee ancestors had two members who signed the Declaration of Independence from England, which is what we celebrate today. Sadly, the price of freedom meant a long and bitter war. In each of our countries may we remember the cost of freedom and celebrate the blessings God has given us as a result of our freedom.



I tried something different with the Charlie panel. Instead of cutting him out and attaching him on the vertical panel, I simply cut out his head, one foot, and his tail with scissors, leaving him on the panel and simply trimming the panel down to the cut portion with my paper cutter to fit the card design.

The stars are all edged with a glitter gel pen and the chipboard star also has two tiny star sparkles for embellishment.

Thank you for visiting. My hope is that you'll cherish the freedoms you have in your country and seek God's blessings.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A  Creative Romance - Show us the colors of your country's flag
Crafty Catz #238 - Stars of Stripes or Both
Jellypark Friends - red, white, and blue
Polkadoodles - red, white, or blue
The Stamping Boutique - stars and stripes
Twisted Tuesday 79 - Red, white, and blue with Twist: use stars


Word Art Wednesday #139 - anything goes with uplifting sentiment

You Are Not Forgotten

Many years ago I lived next to an air base during the Vietnam war.  After I was out of school, I worked there as a civilian employee nearly a year, first for the Air Force, then for the Army Air Defense Command. Many of my friends and I married airmen. Some of the military families came to our church. We became close friends then suddenly they were transferred and we never saw them again. A few wrote or called, but military life wasn't conducive to long, lasting relationships in one place. One thing that never changed was the fact that after more than forty years, I still remember and cherish the times we had together. God will bring them to my mind and I'll pray for them. When I was in Washington, D.C., I checked the Vietnam wall for their names and was relieved not to find them.

This is one of five cards I made in remembrance of the military personnel who have crossed my path. Its message is also for the many that I've never met. Each of them has made a contribution to the freedom that I enjoy in our country. Too many have made a sacrifice of their lives or health while serving our country. So have their families.

No matter what country you call home, may we all send out the message with prayers, "You are NOT forgotten." May God bless and protect our service men and women. May He lead them to make righteous decisions and give them courage to do His will. May our countries show them how proud we are of them and the sacrifices they've made.


The image and sentiment I used was from Our Daily Bread Designs.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A Creative Romance  - Colors of your nation's flag
Bloggers Challenge - red, white, and blue
Crafter's Cafe #70 - red, white, and blue
Crafty Catz #238 - stars and stripes or both
Inky Impressions #166 - patriotic or red, white, and blue
Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge - Red, White, and Blue
Polkadoodles Wk.#26-27 - Red, white, and blue
Quick Quotes #41 - use stars
The Stamping Boutique #24 - stars and stripes
Word Art Wednesday #139 - anything goes with uplifting sentiment



Monday, June 16, 2014

Liberty Bell Scripture Card

Freedom is an amazing thing. I think that those of us who have it often take it for granted. We can travel or live where we want, read or write what we want, worship how we want. I look back across my family history and see that many of my ancestors came to America to have freedom of religion. Some came from England as Puritans in the 1620's so they wouldn't be arrested for their religious beliefs and practices. My father's Protestant relatives came from a Catholic area of Germany, buying land from William Penn. Many of my ancestors came to have the freedom to own their own land, and fought in the Revolutionary War to gain their freedom from the laws of a king in far away England. Two cousins of my Lee ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. If we look back at the trials of our forefathers and how they obtained the hard won liberties that we have today, we get a better idea of the cost of liberty.


These are the things I was pondering as I made this 6" x 6" card. Each country has it's own history of people who stood for freedom and liberty. In three weeks my country will be celebrating Independence Day on July 4th. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of freedom and was often rung in Philadelphia whenever important announcements were made, like the Declaration of Independence. I loved this new image from Doodle Pantry. The scripture verse I included on my card is the one that was etched into the bell:

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Leviticus 25:10


Most of my design comes from the patterned paper. I colored the bell with Copic markers and cut it out, There's an amazing song/video at A Song in Your Heart #9 that may inspire you in making your own card about freedom. The simple lyrics combined with the video give us a deeper message about the price of freedom.

Thank you for visiting. May we be thankful for the freedoms that we have and use them to do good and to bless others.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A2Z Scrapbooking June Linky Party - Stars and stripes
A Song in Your Heart #9 - "Hey, Brother"
Rhedd and Rosie Challenge #34 - Back in Time/Vintage style
Simply Create Too #63 - Celebrate your country/use your flag's colors (red, white, blue)


Word Art Wednesday #136 - anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Sunday, June 8, 2014

White on White Wedding Blessing

I was inspired by Our Daily Bread Designs to create a "white on white" card. I think of white representing something pure, clean, fresh, and new. The first verse that always comes to my mind is "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord..." from Psalm 51. But I think of that verse in relation to my own life, my own prayer. I don't usually think of it as a card sentiment that I want to give to someone else. I don't want someone to think that I'm telling her she needs to pray for God to clean up the sin in her life, especially since it's not my place to judge.

My next thought about a white card was the making a baby or wedding card. The simple elegance of just white made me decide on making a wedding card. This verse from 1 Thes. 3:12 in ODBD Scripture Collection 5 seemed perfect for a new couple. It's a beautiful blessing to give them:


"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."


I embossed the background with the Spellbinders M-Bossabilities folder "Reverence/Adoration" embossing folder. I loved the crosses in the flourished design. I added a Wilton doily, a heart border using the Martha Stewart punch, white satin ribbon, Recollections roses and a Prima flower.

I love the part of the verse that hopes their love will not only abound for each other, but for everyone else, too. Love is such an amazing thing that it can fill to overflowing and multiply! May you also share that kind of love with all those around you! Thank you for visiting!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Crafting at the Weekend #2 - anything goes 
My Time to Craft #250 - No Designer Paper
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #205 - white on white
Paper Creator's Crafts #25 - wedding/anniversary
Sentimental Sundays #210 - anything goes with sentiment
Totally Gorjuss #239 - embossing
Word Art Wednesday #135 - anything uplifting

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Vintage Gentleman Card with Doodle Pantry June Release





It's nearly Father's Day where we live. That's such a great time to honor the men in our lives, even if they're not our own fathers. I was attracted to this lovely image set that Laurie made for Doodle Pantry this month. The men are quite classy, but one of the sentiments was the main attraction for me. It talks about having character:


"The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he'd never be found out."




I'm so fortunate to have a husband who would do right whether anyone was watching or not. I'm hoping I can teach a little of that to my grandsons as I care for them this summer!  Here's the card I made using Laurie's images, sentiments, and papers. (If you look closely at the lighter designer paper you can see tiny shapes that look like mustaches.)







I die cut the sentiment using a Spellbinder's Shapeabilities "Fancy Tags Two" die. I trimmed off the top flourishes and inked it with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The ribbon was a very old scrap that seemed masculine. The pewter embellishments were from a retired CTMH collection.

I wanted this card to be appropriate for either Father's Day or a birthday, so I added an additional sentiment from one of the sets last May, "Buffalo and Caribou."



You can find the following images and other card designs here. Be sure to check out the other new releases for this month.


I'd also like to invite you to join the Doodle Pantry Challenge #47. The theme is "Make It Manly." You can use any image from any source. There will be three $15 random winners.


Thank you for visiting! May God bless you as you honor the men who are or have been part of your life.




I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:




Crafting for All Seasons #78 - Boys will be boys
Creative Card Crew #62 - Shabby chic/Vintage
Die Cuttin' Divas #167 - For the boys
Inky Chicks #30 - Use a metal embellishment
Paper Pretties Wednesday #312 - Father's Day/ Masculine
The Paper Shelter #160 - Make it manly
Ruby's Rainbow #80 - One for the Boys
Word Art Wednesday #134 - anything goes with uplifting sentiment

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Masculine Birthday Cards with ODBD Anchor

This week I began caring for three grandsons for their summer vacation. We took amazing "field trips" this week that will result in some great photos and layouts. What I've learned so far is how tiring it is for grandmas, so creativity hit a low this week. I did find one day to stamp and try different techniques with my artistic eight-year-old grandson. He learned the basics and stamped away.  I enjoyed seeing his delight with his new skills.
Spending time with these young grandsons makes this a good time for making masculine cards. Here's a set I made using some older retired CTMH blue, red, and gold papers with Our Daily Bread Design's "Anchor" stamp set and a birthday sentiment heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I was trying to vary the design so I could use up the scraps of the paper.





Here's a closer look at each one. The image was heat embossed with white embossing powder on CTMH Moonstruck cardstock which had a white core and was great to tear. The blue check was also retired Moonstruck patterned paper. I used heavy baking twine from Bed Bath and Beyond to represent the rope. I also used a variety of older CTMH brads, photo turns, and metallic durables to complete the masculine look.











Inside, each one is slightly different:



I left the ODBD sentiment I wanted to use from this set at my daughter's so I printed Hebrews 6:19 from Karen Murray at Paper Craft Memories that you can find here. I also put this week's verse from Word Art Wednesday which talks about God creating and preserving the sea and all of creation. If He could speak all of creation into existence, I know He is capapble of safely seeing me through all of the storms of life.

Each one also has a simple birthday verse I made as the sentiment and Nehemiah 8:10a, "The joy of the Lord is my strength."



Thank you for visiting.  May you find the anchor for your own soul through the storms of life in Christ Jesus, just as I have.
"This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven,  Hebrews 6:19, Living Bible"


I'm sharing these cards with the following challenges:

Brown Sugar #96 - Birthday
Cardz 4 Guyz - Recipe: 1, 2, 3 ( last card: 1 image, 2 patterned papers, 3 knots/3 metal square durables)
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards #66 - embossing
Going Grey with Scrap Relations - Celebrations
Inky Chicks #30 - use a metal embellishment
Jo's Scrap Shack #52 - Happy Birthday (It really is their birthday!)
Pattie's Creations Design Challenge #93 - Birthdays
Ruby's Rainbow #80 - One for the Boys
Simply Create Too #62 -(Father's day) or For a Male
Word Art Wednesday #134 - anything with uplifting sentiment (I used their scripture inside one)